


Take Me by the Hand (and Lead)

by colazitron



Series: 2017 December Holiday Fic Countdown [10]
Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-13 06:06:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12977691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colazitron/pseuds/colazitron
Summary: Sometimes life is great. Sometimes life is shit. Through both, Isak likes life best when Even is there.





	Take Me by the Hand (and Lead)

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I am in no way affilliated with the characters depicted herein or their creators and made all of this up for fun.

There are always days that are better than others. That stand out. Days when Isak wakes up with a smile already on his lips, when he laughs into the first kiss of the morning, feels like he's walking on sunshine. Most days are not that. They're fine, but they're not the brilliance of utter happiness. All in all though, Isak’s new life is happier, easier, and more fulfilling than his old life. All in all Isak can't - and doesn't want to - complain.

This day starts out like any one of those normal days. The sky is mostly cloudy but there is hope for sunshine. Snow on the ground half-gone but not yet entirely trodden into brown sludge that does nothing but get your feet wet and cold. He kisses Even good morning and eats cornflakes from a large bowl sitting cross-legged on top of the duvet, Even watching him from where he stayed cuddled up underneath it on his side of the bed because he doesn't have to get up as early as Isak today. He’s snagged Isak’s pillow and buried half his face in it like he's breathing Isak’s scent, and Isak feels happy and light watching him.

When he leaves for school he misses the tram, which isn't great, but Isak can deal with a brisk jog to make it to class in time. Then he realises he completely forgot to do a homework assignment, so he half-asses it during break time and during English, when he doesn't need to pay that much attention.

During lunch he gets a call from his mother's nurse-slash-caretaker. It's never a good sign when he calls him, especially during school hours, so he excuses himself from the boys and steps outside the cafeteria where it's quieter.

“Isak?” David says when he picks up. “Hi.”

“Uh, hi,” Isak says, his free hand curling into a fist where he pushed it into the armpit of his other arm, shoulders hunched against the cold. He should have grabbed his jacket.

“Is everything okay?”

“Well,” David says and hesitates for a moment that swoops through Isak's belly like panic. “Yes, Marianne’s fine, but. She had an accident. She fell and her knee hurt so I called an ambulance. Your, um. Your pappa said to call you. He's. He's busy. So the hospital’s probably going to call you when they know more. They said it doesn't seem broken, but. Yeah. Do you want me to wait here with her? You're probably still in school, right?”

The cold seeps in through Isak's blood, settling in his stomach and chest. He nods. And then remembers David can't see him.

“Yeah, that would be great,” he says, marvelling distantly at how solid his voice sounds. “Just however long you're usually with her today, or. Or I can pay you if it's already longer?”

“No, no, that's fine, Isak. I've got some stuff with me I can get done,” David says. “I'll text you if I get any news or have to leave or anything.”

“Okay, thank you,” Isak says. “I'll talk to you later.”

“Yeah. Don't worry, your mamma's fine. She's a tough cookie.”

“Yeah,” Isak says. His fingers are starting to hurt holding up his phone. “Thanks. Bye.”

“Bye, Isak.”

“Everything okay?” Jonas asks when Isak sits back down, brows furrowed in concern.

Isak shakes his head and doesn't even fully register how all the conversations around their table come to a halt.

“David called. He had to take mamma to hospital because she fell. She's probably fine, but pappa said he can't deal with it because he's busy.” Isak says.

Jonas grabs his arm to give it a squeeze while Magnus squawks indignantly. 

“He what?! What a dick!”

Isak looks over and gives him a weak smile.

“Yeah, he's not... so great. At the whole husband and dad thing.”

“Not so--” Magnus starts but gets interrupted by the bell ringing, signaling the end of their lunch break. “Ah shit. Here, you can have the rest of my waffle.”

Isak huffs a laugh and takes it, a bit of warmth thawing the ice inside.

“Thanks, Mags,” he says.

“Let me know if you need anything,” Jonas says, and then gets up to leave with Magnus for their next class. Mahdi and Isak leave in the opposite direction for their own class.

“You can count on us, bro,” Mahdi says, patting Isak on the back as they walk. “Anything you need.”

Isak smiles at him and nods. 

“Yeah, thanks.”

It's probably one of the best things Isak has learned in the past year. You really can ask your friends for help. 

He tells all his teachers he's waiting for a call from the hospital and they're all appropriately sympathetic, allow him to take it during their lesson, and finally, in his second to last period of the day, it comes.

In the end, her knee’s just badly bruised and she needs to keep weight off it as well as she can and rest for a while. If Isak comes to the hospital to pick her up, they'll explain more. He explains he's still at school and that he'll be there as soon as he can, and then rejoins the lesson. When his phone lights up five minutes later with a message from pappa he ignores it.

The knot of anxiety in his belly doesn't really loosen though, because he's not sure pappa’s going to want to pay David to be around more and Isak can only be with mamma in the afternoons. He doesn't want her to be alone, trapped in her own house, all morning. And what if she falls again?

“Keep us posted, alright?” Mahdi says when they part ways after their lesson, and Isak gives him a salute.

When he gets to biology, Sana is already there.

“Sorry about your mamma. Have you heard from the hospital yet?” she asks when he sits down next to her, and Isak isn't even surprised Magnus probably immediately told Vilde and her last period.

“Yeah, it's just bruising, but she'll need help for a good while,” he says, giving her a short smile and then biting his lip.

He was planning on ignoring pappa, since he's so busy, but decides to text back after all, hoping to accrue some good will. Instead, pappa’s text makes him freeze.

 

**Pappa**

I'm having a bit of a tough time right now, so I won't be able to help with rent next month. I'm really sorry.

 

Isak turns his phone face down onto the table and blinks against the sudden burning in his eyes. This day started out so normal, and now. He just. What the fuck is he supposed to do now?

“Are you okay?” Sana asks, and Isak stubbornly nods, staring straight ahead. If he looks at Sana now he's probably going to break down, but if he just avoids her, he can get through this last lesson, and then he can call Even, and--

The thought of Even and his warm, comforting smile squeezes a tear out of his eye, and Isak wipes it off immediately. 

“Do you want me to call Jonas?” Sana asks quietly, and Isak shakes his head. Jonas is in Italian right now and really can't afford to skip.

“Even,” he says, and shoves his phone over at Sana, but she's already got her own up by her ear when he glances over at her, managing to look disapproving for thinking she wouldn't have his number even through her sympathy.

“Hi, Even, can you come pick Isak up?” Sana says in greeting once Even picks up. “No, he's fine, just. Some stuff happened. Can you--? Okay. I'll tell him. Yeah. Bye.”

Sana hangs up and looks over at Isak.

“He says he'll pick you up at KB around the corner. I'll cover for you with Jorunn, tell her you were needed at the hospital with your mamma. You can copy my notes later,” she says.

Isak nods, and stuffs all his things into his backpack without question. His eyes are still burning with tears waiting to be shed, and the thought of sitting through a biology lesson right now is less than unappealing. When he stands up, he leans in to give Sana a grateful hug.

“Thanks, Sana,” he says, voice tight with another swell of tears.

“Sure. I'll see you tomorrow. Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Isak says and tries for a smile. “Can't abandon you.”

“You better not,” she jokes with a firmer smile than his and then shoos him off.

Thankfully, no one tries to stop him when he leaves and the line at KB is blessedly short. He gets a tea and sits in front of the window, staring outside without really registering any of it.

If pappa can't help with rent he can't pay David either probably. But if Isak has to go into his savings for rent he can't pay David either, and he can't spend all of his time with mamma either, because it'll eat up his time tutoring and that's where most of those savings come from in the first place. If mamma needs to rest she'll need help getting around the house even, Isak can't ask her to sit still every day until he can come over. None of the neighbours are really the type to ask for that kind of help. Maybe aunt Lisa can come in from Trondheim to stay for a bit.

“Isak?” Even suddenly says from next to him, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder that makes Isak flinch with surprise anyway.

“I waved, but you didn't see me. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine,” he says. “Sorry.”

“Hey, no, it's fine. I was just a bit worried when Sana called. She said something happened?”

“Mamma's in hospital. She's fine, but. She'll need rest and pappa says he's busy and that he can't help with the rent, so he won't pay David to stay with her either, and I don't know how I'm going to manage both, and school and tutoring take up so much time already, I can't be with her myself all the time, unless I move back in for a while? But I don't--”

“Hey, calm down,” Even says and pulls Isak into a hug.  “You know my parents will help with rent. We just have to ask.”

“Yeah, I know, but I don't want to have to ask. I don't want them to think I'm just going to burden you--”

Even squeezes him tight as his words fail, and Isak buries the tears that spill from his eyes in Even's shoulder.

“Isak,” Even says, running a soothing hand up and down his back. “That's not what they think, I promise. They know how happy you make me, and how much easier life is for me now.”

“You don't have to make me feel better; I know they're not thrilled about us living together,” Isak mumbles.

“They weren't at first,” Even concedes. “But they're coming around. And even so, they'll still help, and they know this isn't on you. They like you, I promise.”

“Okay,” Isak says, taking a shaky but deep breath and leaning back from Even so he can wipe his face.

“Okay,” Even echoes, with one of those warm, comforting smiles on his face.

Isak can't help but smile back.

“Thank you,” he says.

Even leans in and kisses his tear-sticky cheek.

“Of course, baby. Now, come on. We'll go see Marianne, and then we'll come up with a plan.”

Isak nods and lets Even take him by the hand.

“Okay. I can do that.”

“I know you can,” Even says, and gives him another kiss, this one on the lips and giving Isak the time to reciprocate before leading him outside.

Most days are okay, and some days are amazing, but even the days that are shit are better with Even. Isak really can't complain. 

  
  
**THE END**

**Author's Note:**

> Come prompt me on my tumblr @fille-lioncelle.


End file.
